1937.1.78 (78)

Rembrandt van Rijn

A Polish Nobleman

1637 O i l o n oak, 06.8 x 66 (38V8 x 26) A n d r e w W. M e l l o n C o l l e c t i o n

Inscriptions A t upper r ight: Rembrandt./:./1637

Technical Notes: T h e panel is composed o f a single piece o f

oak w i t h a vertical grain and has been cradled. D e n d r o ­

chronology dates the tree fel l ing to about 1633.1 O l d repaired

vert ical splits are found at top center and bot tom left. M o d ­

erate-sized losses o f spl intered w o o d have occurred i n the

panel edges.

T h e g round consists o f t w o layers, a lower whi t e layer o f

m e d i u m thickness covered by a very th in ocher layer . 2 A r i ch

paste paint layer o f moderate thickness has been appl ied w i t h

a d r y b rush p r o d u c i n g a h i g h l y textured surface, w i t h th ick

impasted accents o n the jewels and staff. T h e tan ground

layer is vis ible between the broad, opaque brushmarks and is

incorporated into the structure o f the cloak. Ind iv idua l fur

hairs have been delicately painted w i t h a fine brush . T h e fur

hat has been incised w i t h the butt end of a b rush to expose the

g round layer. G l a z i n g is m i n i m a l , employed chiefly i n the

dark shadows o f the face and hand.

Several pent iment i are vis ible w i t h the naked eye and i n

the x-radiograph. S l igh t color variations i n the background to

the sitter's r ight were occasioned b y the artist's repaint ing o f

the facial contour to s l i m the profile. X- rad iography confirms

alterations as w e l l that reshape the lower por t ion o f the head

and shows that the t h u m b was once inc l ined d o w n w a r d at a

sharper angle and the index finger more t igh t ly curved . T h i s

or ig ina l pos i t ion o f the hand corresponds to the g r ip neces­

sary to ho ld the staff i n its in i t ia l pos i t ion , inc l ined away f rom

the sitter, as evidenced b y a reserve left i n the background.

O n c e adjusted to its more upr ight pos i t ion , the staff was

longer than it n o w appears. Its earlier fo rm is vis ible through

the gray covering paint o f the background . A pearl d rop ,

w h i c h once h u n g f rom the hat jewel , and a pearl earr ing

attached to the proper left ear lobe were both painted out.

T h e paint layer is i n excellent cond i t ion , w i t h m i n i m a l

abrasion and on ly m i n o r losses i n the face and around edges.

Conserva t ion was carr ied out i n 1985 to remove an aged

varnish and discolored repaints.

Provenance: Poss ib ly H a r m a n van S w o l ; (sale, A m s t e r d a m ,

20 A p r i l 1707)3. Ca ther ine I I , empress o f Russ ia [1729-1796], Saint Petersburg; Imper ia l Hermi tage Ga l l e ry , Saint

Petersburg; sold February 1931 th rough (Matthiesen Ga l l e ry ,

B e r l i n ; P. & D . C e l n a g h i & C o . , L o n d o n ; and M . Knoed le r

& C o . , N e w Y o r k ) to A n d r e w W . M e l l o n , P i t t sburgh and

W a s h i n g t o n ; deeded 30 M a r c h 1932 to T h e A . W . M e l l o n

Educa t iona l and Char i t ab le T r u s t , P i t t sburgh .

Exhibited: W a s h i n g t o n 1969, no. 3.

O N E of Rembrandt's most powerfully evocative paintings from the late 1630s, A Polish Nobleman dis­plays a richness of conception and technique that is unmatched by any other painting by the master in the National Gallery's collection. As this imposing figure stares out beneath his tall beaver hat, he at once confronts the viewer with directness and draws him in with his introspective gaze. His confident stance as he grasps a gold-topped wooden staff, his broad mustache, and the gold chain and pendant that hang over the broad fur collar that covers his jacket give him an air of authority and exotic gran­deur. At the same time, the shaded eyes, furrowed brow, and partially opened mouth suggest a caring and thoughtful individual, far more approachable than the pose and costume would initially imply.

Largely because of the individualized character of the sitter, but also because of the obvious care with which Rembrandt modeled the forms, scholars have since the nineteenth century sought to identify this sitter with a specific individual. The earliest, and most persistent, of these identifications is the one mentioned by Smith in 1836: Jan III Sobieski (1629-1696), who was king of Poland from 1674 until his death.5 Since Sobieski was only eight years old in 1637, such an identification is clearly impossible. Stefan Batory, the other Polish king whose name was mentioned in the nineteenth century in connec­tion with this painting, is likewise mistaken, for he died in 1586.6

Another identification more recently proposed, that the figure represents the Polish nobleman An-drzej Rej, would seem to have more merit.7 Rej, well-traveled, well-educated, and well-bred, had a close and cordial relationship to the royal court in Poland. As one of the most influential and trusted Protestants in the country, he was chosen by King Wladyslaw in 1637 to act as a special envoy to Eng­land and to the Netherlands at a time when relations between Poland and these countries were rather frosty.8 His diplomatic ventures, first in England, where Charles I would not even receive him, and then in the Netherlands, were not successful. After leaving The Hague on 19 December 1637 he seems to have traveled to Amsterdam where his son was enrolled as a student at the Amsterdam "Athenaeum Illustre." Although he must not have stayed long, for he was documented in Hamburg by 19 January 1638, he did take time to have his portrait painted. In a document from 1641 Rej's son, Mikolaj, acknowl­edges that he owes Hendrik van Uylenburgh fifty guilders "for portraying my father."9

The coincidence of Rej's presence in Amsterdam in 1637 and Rembrandt's portrait of a Polish noble-

222 D U T C H P A I N T I N G S

R e m b r a n d t van R i j n , A Polish Nobleman, 1937.1.78

REMBRANDT VAN RIJN 223

Fig. i. Detail of x-radiograph of 1937.1.78

man of that date would lead one to hypothesize a connection even if a document did not exist con­firming that a portrait was in fact painted. Since Hendrik van Uylenburgh, who was of Polish de­scent, had had a business connection with Rem­brandt in the early 1630s, one might assume that Van Uylenburgh would have arranged for Rem­brandt to paint a portrait of Andrzej Rej. Neverthe­less, the evidence is not compelling enough to make a convincing connection. To begin with, Rembrandt is not mentioned in the document. Secondly, the price for the portrait would have been extremely low

Fig. 2. Detail of face in 1937.1.78 in raking light

for such a large-scale, fully worked out painting of this date by the master. Moreover, despite their ear­lier business relations, it is unlikely that in 1637 Hendrik van Uylenburgh was actively procuring commissions for Rembrandt or administering his financial affairs. Finally, the costume is not one that a Polish nobleman on an official diplomatic mission would have worn in 1637. While the elements of the costume are essentially Polish, they had been in fashion some twenty years earlier.10

Rather than depicting a specific individual, A Polish Nobleman is very likely part of the same tradi­tion of fanciful portraits of figures in oriental cos­tumes to which Man in Oriental Costume belongs (for a discussion of this type of portraiture see the entry on 1940.1.13).11 The models for such paintings seem to have been people close to Rembrandt, among them Saskia, his mother, possibly his father, and his brother Adriaen.12 Rembrandt also used himself as a model for fanciful figures in his etchings and paint­ings. Quite frequently he radically changed his appearance with different hairstyles, beards, and mustaches. The penetrating expression of A Polish Nobleman and the striking resemblance of the sitter's features to Rembrandt's, particularly in the area around the eyes and nose, make one wonder if this painting is not, in fact, a fanciful self-portrait. The main objection to this hypothesis is that Rembrandt had not developed such a jowled countenance at this date. X-radiographs, however, clearly indicate that the pronounced jowls were not part of the initial concept but were an adaptation done when Rem­brandt altered the right contour of the face (fig. i).13

At that time he also eliminated the earlobe and a pearl earring.14

The extraordinary power of A Polish Nobleman, which is painted on a single, large oak panel, is all the more enhanced because it has been so well pre­served. Rich impastos on the face, which can be seen in the photograph taken in a raking light (fig. 2), reinforce the three-dimensional presence of the image. Similar impastos accent the gold medallion falling over his shoulder. The brown collar and red­dish brown sleeve of the jacket, however, are painted thinly to suggest the softer textures of fur and cloth. In these areas the ocher ground, which is allowed to show through the surface paint, provides a unifying tone. Rembrandt has consciously sought to reveal this tone by wiping his wet paint with a cloth or, as in the beaver hat, by scratching the surface with the butt end of his brush. Even the background, which because of the painted crack must represent a wall, has been carefully modeled. Since the recent restora­tion of the painting, the care with which he mod-

ulated his paints over the entire surface is once again visible. Indeed, he even left a thumbprint along the lower edge.

Notes 1. Dendrochrono log ica l examinat ion by D r . Joseph

B a u c h o f Univers i ta t H a m b u r g i n 1977 has determined that the w o o d comes from a tree felled around 1633. Panels f rom the same tree were used for t w o other paintings by R e m ­brandt at the end o f the 1630s, the Concord of State ( M u s e u m Boymans-van Beuningenj Rotterdam) and River Landscape

with a Windmill (Staatliche K u n t s a m m l u n g e n , G e m a l d e -galerie, Kassel) . See D r . Peter K l e i n letter, 25 September 1987, i n N G A curator ia l files.

2. Reports are available i n the Scientif ic Research depart­ment on pigment analysis (December 1984) and pigment and media analysis (25 February 1985).

3. See note 4 below. 4. N o identifications to specific ind iv idua ls are given i n

eighteenth-century references. In the H a r m a n van S w o l sale i n A m s t e r d a m on 20 A p r i l 1707 a pa in t ing described as " E e n Ambassadeur van M o s c o v i e n , van Rembrand t kragtig ge-schi lder t" may have been this work ; the association o f this pa in t ing w i t h A Polish Nobleman was first made i n the Corpus

1982-, 3: 247. W h e n A Polish Nobleman was first described i n the catalogue o f the col lec t ion o f Cather ine II o f Russ ia , compi l ed between 1773 and 1783, it bore the title "Portrai t d 'un Turc . "

5. S m i t h 1829-1842, 7: 310: " A M i l i t a r y G e n t l e m a n , s tyled ' S o b i e s k i ' . . . . " A l t h o u g h the t radi t ion was already questioned i n Hermi t age 1838 ("n'est justificee par aucun des documents que nous avons notre d i spos i t ion") , the identifica­t ion cont inued to be proposed as an opt ion throughout most o f the nineteenth century.

6. Bode 1883,464. 7. F i r s t proposed by O d l o z i l i k 1963, 3-32. T h i s identif i ­

cat ion was supported b y Broos 1974, 210-213. 8. K i n g W l a d y s l a w had just gone back on his h igh ly

controversial p lan to mar ry the niece o f Char les I o f E n g l a n d . T h e niece was E l i zabe th , daughter o f Freder ick V , k i n g o f Bohemia and elector o f the Palatinate, and his consort E l i zabe th Stuart . T h e k i n g and queen o f Bohemia , the so-called W i n t e r K i n g and W i n t e r Q u e e n , were also intimates w i t h the Pr ince o f Orange , Freder ik H e n d r i k , and his wi fe , A m a l i a van So lms . N o t on ly was Freder ik H e n d r i k the uncle o f Freder ick , but w h e n the Bohemian k i n g and queen had come to T h e H a g u e in exile i n the 1620s, A m a l i a van So lms came w i t h them as one o f El izabeth 's ladies- in-wai t ing.

9. Broos 1974, 213, note 49. T h e document was pub­l ished by Bred ius 1915-1922, 5 (1918), 1688.

10. I am indebted for this informat ion to D r . Ju l iu s C h r o s -c i c k i , f rom the Un ive r s i t y o f Warsaw, w h o , as a fel low at the N G A ' s Cen te r for A d v a n c e d Studies i n the V i s u a l A r t s , was s tudy ing the p rob lem o f Rembrandt ' s depict ions o f Po l i sh subjects.

11. Corpus 1982-, 3: 247, considers this w o r k a tronie, a te rm that seems inappropriate for such a large, fu l ly con­ceived three-quarter-length figure. A l t h o u g h the meaning of the te rm as used i n the seventeenth century is not clear, it seems most probable that tronies were bust-length studies o f heads rather than finished paintings. T h e prices paid for tronies were qui te low, as noted by B r u y n i n Corpus 1982-, 3 (1989): 23, "a relatively cheap product."

12. B a u c h i960, 168, suggested that the model for A Polish

Nobleman was A d r i a e n . N o identifiable portraits o f A d r i a e n , however, are k n o w n .

13. T h e connections to Rembrandt ' s o w n phys iognomy i n the or ig inal concept for the portrai t are par t icular ly evident i n a compar ison o f the x-radiograph w i t h those o f other Rembrand t self-portraits f rom the late 1630s. See i n par t icu­lar the x-radiograph o f Bust of Rembrandt with an Architectural

Background, Paris , L o u v r e , inv. no. 1746, repro. i n Corpus

1982-3:499. 14. A few other mino r changes, such as on the staff and

gold meda l l ion on the hat, are evident i n the x-radiograph and upon close observation o f the pain t ing itself.

References 1774 Hermi tage : no. 44. 1783 Hermi tage : no. 44. 1829-1842 S m i t h , 7 (1836): 113, no. 310. 1838 Hermi tage : 125, no. 23. 1864 Waagen: 182, no. 811. 1863 D e K o h n e : 172, no. 811 (also 1870 2nd ed . , 2: 137,

no. 811; 3rd ed. Somof , 2: 285, no. 811, repro.).

1868 Vosmaer : 449 (also 1877 2nd ed. : 5 i5 , 576). 1873 Blanc , 2: 404. 1879 D e R i s : 377-388, repro.

1883 Bode: 464-465, 601, no. 335. 1885 D u t u i t : 38, 64, 67, no. 387. 1886 W u r z b a c h : 87, no. 402, repro.

1893 M i c h e l : 216, 507 (also 1894ed., 1 : 216 -217, repro

2:246). 1897- 1906 Bode , 3 (1899): 36-36, 200, , no. 228,repro.

1809 B e l l : 70, 179 (also 1907 rev. ed. : 65, 150, repro.).

1809 Knackfuss : 18, repro. no. 15. 1902 N e u m a n n : repro. 93 (also 1922 ed . , 2 vo ls . , 2:

414-415, repro.). 1906 Schmid t -Degener : 89-108. 1906 Rosenberg: 166, repro. , 427 (also 1009 rev. ed . :

216, repro. , 556). 1907b M i c h e l : 46, repro. 1907 B r o w n : 254-255, 302. 1907-1927 H d G , 6(1916): 165, no. 271. 1909 Wrangel l : x x i x , i n , repro.

1911 Bode and K n a p p : unpaginated, repro.

1912 Reau: 471-488, repro. 1923 Weiner : unpaginated, repro.

1923 Me ld runv . 190, p i . c x i x . 1924 Knackfuss : 62, repro. 1926 H y m a n s : no. 47, repro.

1935 Bredius : no. 211, repro. (also 1936 E n g l i s h ed . , 211, repro.).

1937 Frankfurter: 9-13, repro. 1937 Cor t i ssoz : 38-39. 1941 N G A : 166, no. 78. 1943 Benesch: 20-33, fig- 1 ( ^ s o reprint i n Benesch

1970, 1: 140-146, fig. 108). 1948 Rosenberg, 1: 43, fig. 59 (also 1964 rev. ed . : 71, f ig.

59)-1949 M e l l o n : 80, repro. i960 Bauch : 168-169, repro. 1963 O d l o z i l i k : 3-32, repro. 1965 N G A : 109, no. 78. 1966 Bauch : 10, no. 174, repro. 1968 N G A : 96, repro. 1968 G e r s o n : 56, 495, 298, repro. 1969 G e r s o n / B r e d i u s : 565, 170, repro.

REMBRANDT VAN RIJN 225

1969 Washington: no. 3. 1974 Broos: 192-218, repro. fig. 19. 1975 N G A : 286-287, repro.

1976 Walker : 273-273, no. 359, color repro. 1977 Bo l t en and Bol t en -Rempt : 186, no. 264, repro. 1981 C h r o s c i c k i : 441-448. 1984 Whee lock : 12, color repro.

1984/1985 Schwar tz : 200, no. 219, color repro. (also 1985 E n g l i s h ed.).

1985 N G A : 330, repro. 1986 T u m p e l : 197, color repro . , 406, no. 137. 1986 Su t ton : 312. 1986 G u i l l a u d and G u i l l a u d : 311, no. 366, color repro.

1986 Hermesdor f : 35-49. 1988 Whee lock : 214-245, fig. 9-28. 1982- Corpus, 3 (1989): 242-247, repros. 1990 Schneider : 68, 69, repro. , 70, 95, 154, 171, 233

note 80. 1991 L e B i h a n : 362. 1991 G r i m m : 95, p i . 51 (color detail), 97, fig. 179. 1992 N G A : 124, color repro.

1937.1.73 (73)

Rembrandt van Rijn and Workshop

An Old Lady with a Book

1637 O i l o n canvas, 109.7 x 9l-5 (43'4 x 36) A n d r e w W. M e l l o n C o l l e c t i o n

Inscriptions O n the bo t tom left: Rembr[sin\dt. /f.i[6^]7

Technical Notes: T h e support , a medium-weigh t , t ight ly and p la in-woven fabric, is re l ined w i t h the tacking margins t r i m m e d . C u s p i n g is present o n al l sides, suggesting the or ig ina l d imensions have been retained. T h e double g round consists o f a t h i n , red lower layer fol lowed by a very t h i n , gray upper layer. 1 Paint is appl ied as th in pastes i n dark passages and thicker paste i n the l ights , w i t h i n d i v i d u a l brushstrokes b lended wet in to wet. V i s i b l e i n the x-radio­graph su r round ing the head are the l imi t s o f a rather large reserve left for this area.

Losses are found i n the signature and date, to the left o f the head, and along the edges. M i n o r f laking has occurred at crackle junctures, and the pale halo around the figure is moderately abraded. T h e pa in t ing underwent treatment i n 1981-1983 at w h i c h t ime early l in ings were removed, the pa in t ing was re l ined , and discolored varnish and repaints were removed.

Provenance: Johan van der M a r c k , A m s t e r d a m ; (sale, 25 A u g u s t 1773, no. 259). M . T h e l l u s s o n , Paris ; (sale, Paris , 1 December 1777, no. 17).2 M on te squ i eu (sale, Paris , 9 M a r c h 1788, no. 45); purchased b y L e b r u n . C . A . de Ca lonne (sale, L o n d o n , 23 M a r c h 1795, no. 38); purchased by J o h n Ju l ius Ange r s t e in , L o n d o n ; b y gift to S i r T h o m a s Lawrence [1769-1830], L o n d o n . 3 J o h n A l l n u t , L o n d o n , (sale, L o n d o n , 18-20 June 1863, no. 502); purchased by Francois N i e u w e n h u y s ,

Brussels . L o u i s L e b e u f de M o n t g e r m o n t , Paris; P r ince de Brog l ie , Paris , by 1920; (Duveen Brothers , L o n d o n and N e w York , i n 1920); sold N o v e m b e r 1924 to A n d r e w W. M e l l o n , P i t t sburgh and Washington; deeded 28 December 1934 to T h e A . W. M e l l o n Educa t iona l and Char i t ab le Trus t , Pi t ts­burgh .

Exhibited: B r i t i s h Inst i tut ion, L o n d o n , 1861, no. 123. Paint­

ings by Old Masters from Pittsburgh Collections, Carnegie Inst i­tute, P i t t sburgh , 1925, no. 60. Paintings by Rembrandt, De t ro i t Institute o f A r t s , 1930, no. 36. Washington 1969, no. 4.

A L T H O U G H the identity of this formidable woman is not known, her black cap indicates that she is in mourning and is probably a widow. Her stern de­meanor, wide-wheel ruff collar, and the Bible she holds in her lap suggest that she was a conservative member of Dutch society and dedicated to her reli­gious beliefs. Despite the bold execution, the por­trait is remarkably subdued. The sitter does not communicate directly with the viewer either through a gaze or gesture, but rather is lost in her thoughts as she ponders the words of the Bible she has just read.4 As she stares outward but looks in­ward, she gently fingers the clasp of the Bible with one hand while holding her spectacles between the fingers of her other.

Because such black, fur-trimmed costumes are found in Dutch painting from the mid-1630s until the late 1650s, the dating of this imposing painting has posed particular problems. Until a date was discovered in the lower left at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was generally described in an all-inclusive way as belonging to Rembrandt's "best period." First read as 1643,5 the date was later be­lieved to be i64[7].6The confusion is understandable because damage in this area of the painting oblit­erates a portion of both the signature and the date. The restoration of the painting in 1983, however, revealed that the date should be read as 1637. While the damage does affect both the "6" and the "3," enough of each number survives to identify them (see Appendix). The signature and date are integral with the paint structure and are of a type characteris­tic of the late 1630s.

This information is of some consequence when discussing the attribution of the work, which has been rejected in recent years by both Gerson and Schwartz.7 Indeed, while the execution does not relate easily with Rembrandt's paintings from the late 1640s, close comparisons can be made with other women's portraits from the late 1630s, in particular Alotte Adriaensdr. of 1639 in the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam (fig. i).8 Not only are the costumes of both figures similar, but also the sure

226 D U T C H P A I N T I N G S